Thanksgiving/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Moby stirs a saucepan on the stove in his kitchen. Tim looks on. TIM: That looks good. Moby holds the spoon up to Tim's face and he tastes what Moby's cooking. TIM: Puuh! Um. Tim makes a face and spits it out. MOBY: Beep. TIM: It's, ah… maybe you could add a little more pepper. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No! No! No more salt! Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, how did Thanksgiving begin? From, Margeaux. Well, you've probably heard of the Pilgrims. They were settlers from England who came to the New World seeking religious and economic freedom. An image shows a Pilgrim family. TIM: Their ship, the Mayflower; landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. An animation shows the Mayflower. MOBY: Beep. TIM: That's right. Way before the Pilgrims ever arrived; an American Indian tribe called the Wampanoag inhabited much of what we now know as Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including Plymouth. An image shows a Wampanoag family. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right, so when the Pilgrims landed in the Mayflower, they were in Wampanoag territory. An animation shows Wampanoag people observing the Pilgrims who landed on their coast. The Mayflower is shown nearby. TIM: The Pilgrims were unprepared for the American wilderness, and they had a pretty rough time. Many of them died during that first year in the New World. An animation shows snow falling on Pilgrim graves. TIM: The seeds they brought from England wouldn't grow on American soil. And the Pilgrims really didn't know how to hunt and fish. An English-speaking Wampanoag named Squanto decided to help the Pilgrims and teach them how to survive. An image shows Squanto. TIM: He and his people pointed out medicinal plants, showed them how to build houses called wigwams, and taught them how to catch fish. He also taught them how to plant corn and other new vegetables, using fish for fertilizer. Images illustrate the things Squanto and his people taught the Pilgrims. TIM: By the time fall rolled around, the Pilgrims were doing much better, thanks to the Wampanoags. An image shows a Pilgrim man shaking Squanto's hand. TIM: They held a feast to celebrate their good fortune. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. Thanksgiving was not an entirely new concept for the Pilgrims or the Indians. The Pilgrims had held an annual thanksgiving feast in November that was a religious holiday. The American Indians actually held several harvest festivals throughout the year. But this was the first thanksgiving celebration that they had together. It happened sometime between September 21 and November 11, 1621. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Members of the Plymouth colony were preparing for their feast to celebrate the autumn harvest. The Wampanoag chief Massasoit, his wife, and 90 men decided to pay a visit to the colony. Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims, invited the visitors to join them for the Thanksgiving celebration. An image shows Captain Miles Standish and Chief Massasoit. TIM: The Pilgrims weren't quite prepared for 90 Wampanoag that showed up. An image shows the Pilgrims not having enough food for the Wampanoag people. TIM: Massasoit sent his men to hunt for some more food so everybody could eat. An animation shows Massasoit's men going off to hunt for more food. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yes, they were good houseguests. They ate things like duck, goose, deer, lobster, wild turkey, fish, beans, squash, corn soup, corn bread, and berries. Images show these foods. TIM: That first Thanksgiving lasted three whole days. Two groups of people with little in common came together and formed a peace and friendship agreement. An image shows a drawing of the first Thanksgiving. TIM: Part of that agreement allowed the Pilgrims to build their new town of Plymouth. An image shows Plymouth. TIM: Sadly, the American Indian/Pilgrim friendship didn't last forever. An image shows a Pilgrim man shaking Squanto's hand, then the image fades away. TIM: As new settlers came to America, they didn't need as much help as the Pilgrims did. An image shows settlers' ships. TIM: The language, cultural, and religious differences between the two peoples were, pretty major, and the American Indians and European settlers began to distrust one another. Eventually, the new Americans forced most of American Indians off their lands. An animation shows settler homes replacing American Indian wigwams. TIM: There are still some Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts, not that that makes up for anything. Tim pauses to think for a moment. TIM: Hmm. MOBY: Beep. Moby looks sad. TIM: Today, many Americans carry on the tradition of Thanksgiving with a dinner to symbolize how much we all have to be thankful for. An image shows a cooked turkey and other popular Thanksgiving foods. TIM: And also, to remember that first Thanksgiving, when the spirit of goodwill and cooperation helped bring two very different groups of people together, at one dinner table. Moby carries an overcooked; smoking, burnt turkey he cooked for Thanksgiving. Tim chuckles. TIM: Happy Thanksgiving! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts